AllMusic Loves 1986

By AllMusic Staff · Feb. 2, 2012

By some measures, 1986 may be the most '80s year of the decade. Sure, Michael Jackson was absent from the charts but his impact could not be denied, nor could his little sister Janet who had one of the year's defining albums in Control. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis gave Control a Minneapolis flavor just as Prince continued to mine the Paisley Underground for inspiration on his decidedly weird Parade. Counteracting this neo-psychedelia -- also apparent on the gorgeous Skylarking by XTC -- was the rise of Americana in the form of debut albums by Dwight Yoakam and Steve Earle and hip-hop breaking into the mainstream via Run-D.M.C.'s Raising Hell and Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill. American Underground began to inch its way into the mainstream through Hüsker Dü signing to Warner and R.E.M. working with John Mellencamp producer Don Gehman, and MTV still kicked out plenty of one-hit wonders like the deliciously weird Baltimora and his "Tarzan Boy," all of which gives us plenty of reasons to love 1986.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine [Spotify]Sometimes when I think of 1986 all that comes to mind is Lionel Richie's "Dancing on the Ceiling" but that's an anomaly in a year filled with great albums and, especially, great singles. I had more than I could fit into the confines of this AllMusic list and some of the spillover (but not all, due to various licensing restrictions) is on the accompanying Spotify list.

Chrysta Cherrie [Spotify]As someone who was a bit on the young side to appreciate the pop potential of 1986, this list represents gems in college rock, jazz, punk and elsewhere that I discovered later in life.